The Lexus LS has always been a bit of a land yacht
but the company is finally making the transition to a full-on yacht by
revealing plans to build an ultra-luxurious boat inspired by the Sport Yacht
concept.
The Sport Yacht
concept started out as a project from the Toyota Marine Division which was
working on a new series of Ponam yachts for Japan. Toyota President Akio Toyoda
took a spin in one of these models and decided it would make a perfect Lexus
concept.
The 12.7 meter long concept featured a
luxurious cabin as well as two Lexus-sourced 5.0-liter V8 engines that produced
a combined output of 885 hp. The concept also had a carbon-fiber
reinforced plastic hull which enabled the yacht to weigh approximately one
tonne less than a traditional yacht built with fiber-glass.
The concept was never intended for production but
during an award ceremony at the Japan International Boat Show, where the
concept was named “Boat of the Year,” Toyota executive vice president Shigeki
Tomoyama confirmed Lexus will build a yacht that will be sold worldwide.
Speaking at the show, Tomoyama said “Based on our amazing experiences in
engineering, building, testing and showing the Lexus Sport Yacht concept last
year, we’ve decided to take the next bold step of producing an all-new larger
yacht that builds on the advanced nature of the concept while adding more
comfort and living space.”
The new yacht will be built in partnership with
Marquis-Larson and it is slated to be a 19.8 meter sport fly-bridge
cruiser. It will have high-tech connectivity features as well as “luxury
staterooms below deck and entertaining space for up to 15 guests.”
Additional information will be released closer to
launch but Lexus will begin U.S. sales in the latter half of 2019. The yacht
will then go on sale in Japan the following spring.
